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Who Would Have Done What Against OBL? - President Obama seemed to have a twinkle in his eye when he told reporters at the White House today, “I said that I’d go after bin Laden if we had a clear shot at him and I did. If there are others who have said one thing and now suggest they’d do something else, then I’d go ahead and let them explain it.” http://abcn.ws/IQff77
Obama had been asked about Romney’s assertion earlier in the day that he would have gone after Osama bin Laden had he been president, remarking while shaking hands with supporters that “even Jimmy Carter would have given that order.”
Carter did authorize a daring special operations attempt to rescue American hostages held in Iran in 1979. But that mission – Operation Eagle Claw – had to be aborted and ended disastrously with eight American service members dead in a helicopter crash. http://abcn.ws/JvcIO4
Jake Tapper offers this bit of history – Recall that then-Senator Obama said in 2007 “if we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won’t act, we will.”
Romney back in 2007 called those comments “ill-timed” and “ill-considered” and said “there is a war being waged by terrorists of different types and nature across the world. We want, as a civilized world, to participate with other nations in this civilized effort to help those nations reject the extreme with them.” http://abcn.ws/IQff77
Despite his own comment today about Obama and Carter, Romney’s campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul responded to Obama’s response to Romney: “It’s unfortunate that President Obama would prefer to use what was a good day for all Americans as a cheap political ploy and an opportunity to distort Governor Romney’s strong policies on the war on terror. President Obama’s feckless foreign policy has emboldened our adversaries, weakened our allies, and threatens to break faith with our military.”
Saul also accused the Obama administration of believing the war on terror is over even though counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan said definitively today that the fight goes on. http://abcn.ws/KqP43V
Drone War – Brennan’s speech was full of interesting nuggets – it officially acknowledged the drone war – From Mark Schone – “Brennan’s speech defending the U.S. drone campaign, the Obama administration’s first public admission that it is using drones against al Qaeda, comes as Pakistan delivered its strongest and most public condemnation yet of U.S. strikes, accusing the U.S. of violating Pakistani sovereignty, calling the campaign “a total contravention of international law and established norms of interstate relations.” http://abcn.ws/KwQjCV
For Walmart Moms, GDP Trumps OBL – For all the focus on the anniversary tomorrow of the killing of Osama bin Laden and the political argument over who would have done what and when they would have done it, Amy Walter argues, after listening to a focus group with moms who shop at Walmart, that today, it is the GDP, not OBL that is driving this election. http://abcn.ws/Jm3MHM
EPA Regional Admin Resigns Over ‘Crucify’ Comment – http://abcn.ws/JZHsuG (Tapper)
No Comment – Obama Won’t Say A Word About Escaped Chinese Dissident Possibly Seeking Asylum in the U.S.- http://abcn.ws/IQzKig
The Five Policy Speeches of Joe Biden – Devin Dwyer dissects the Obama campaign argument – http://abcn.ws/IBBgaM
No Name – Against whom is President Barack Obama running in November? Yahoo! News’ Olivier Knox points out “Mitt Romney has just one brief, silent cameo in the Obama campaign’s new seven-minute ad. The presumptive Republican nominee gets about as much screen time as former president George W. Bush, and less than Tea Party demonstrators or top Congressional Republican leaders like House Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.” http://abcn.ws/IoYOkb
Romney Secretly Visits Grieving Police Officers in New Hampshire – http://abcn.ws/JxbtPY
Twist My Arm – Chris Christie has said he’s “not looking to become vice president,” but the New Jersey governor said today the presumptive GOP nominee might be able to convince him otherwise.” He might be able to convince me. He’s a convincing guy,” Christie said during a visit to a high school AP history class, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. http://abcn.ws/IkQHV5 (Shush Walshe)
Who is Kelly Ayotte? – http://abcn.ws/KmOOCd
The freshman senator from New Hampshire took her turn on stage with Mitt Romney today. http://abcn.ws/IkQHV6
Harboring Rielle on the Lam from the Press – Andrew Young’s Wife Details Arrangement – From Jim Hill and the ABC folks in Greensboro - http://abcn.ws/ID1IPk
Ben Bradlee Had Doubts About Some Deep Throat Details – the potted plant, the meetings, the flourish – A disagreement pits Woodward against Bradlee and former mentee - http://abcn.ws/IQff78
Army Concert Gives Ted Nugent the Boot – and we don’t mean the cowboy kind. http://abcn.ws/JJSuiE
Marco Rubio’s $8,000 FEC Fine Isn’t Abnormal – http://abcn.ws/IBeWPU